Markdown Syntax: Complete Basic Reference

Paragraphs

Paragraphs in markdown are one or more lines of text separated by a blank line. You do not need any special characters to start a paragraph. Simply write your text and leave an empty line before the next paragraph.

This is the first paragraph.

This is the second paragraph.

Avoid indenting paragraphs with spaces or tabs unless you intend to create a code block.

Headings

Create headings by adding hash symbols (#) before your text. The number of hashes determines the heading level, from 1 (largest) through 6 (smallest). Always put a space between the hash symbols and the heading text.

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6

Use heading levels in order. Do not skip from H1 to H3 without an H2 in between. This helps with accessibility and SEO.

Bold

Wrap text in double asterisks or double underscores to make it bold. Both notations produce the same result, but double asterisks are more widely recommended because they work in the middle of a word.

**This text is bold**
__This is also bold__
Use **bold** in the middle of a sentence.

Prefer ** over __ for bold. Underscores may not render correctly when used in the middle of a word on some processors.

Italic

Wrap text in single asterisks or single underscores to italicize it. Like bold, single asterisks are the preferred choice for mid-word emphasis.

*This text is italic*
_This is also italic_
An *italic* word in a sentence.

Stick with * for italic text to avoid rendering issues with underscores inside words.

Bold and Italic

Combine bold and italic by wrapping text in triple asterisks. You can also nest single and double asterisks, but triple asterisks are the simplest approach.

***Bold and italic text***
**_Also bold and italic_**
*__Another combination__*

Blockquotes

Start a line with > followed by a space to create a blockquote. Blockquotes can span multiple lines and can be nested by adding additional > characters.

> This is a blockquote.
>
> It can span multiple lines.

> Nested blockquotes use multiple arrows.
>
>> This is a nested blockquote.

Add a blank line before and after blockquotes for best compatibility across markdown processors.

Ordered Lists

Create ordered (numbered) lists by starting each line with a number followed by a period and a space. The numbers do not need to be sequential; markdown will auto-number them in order.

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

1. First item
1. Second item
1. Third item

Starting every item with 1. makes it easy to insert new items later without renumbering.

Unordered Lists

Create unordered (bulleted) lists by starting each line with a dash (-), asterisk (*), or plus sign (+). All three produce the same result. Pick one and use it consistently.

- First item
- Second item
- Third item

* First item
* Second item
* Third item

Dashes (-) are the most common convention. Avoid mixing different markers within the same list.

Code

Use backticks for inline code and triple backticks for fenced code blocks. Fenced code blocks can include a language identifier after the opening backticks to enable syntax highlighting.

Inline code: `const x = 42;`

```javascript
function greet(name) {
  return "Hello, " + name;
}
```

Always specify the language after the opening triple backticks so readers and syntax highlighters can process your code correctly.

Links

Create links by wrapping the link text in square brackets followed by the URL in parentheses. You can optionally add a title in quotes after the URL, which appears as a tooltip on hover.

[Kolavi Studio](https://kolavistudio.com)
[Link with title](https://kolavistudio.com "Visit Kolavi Studio")

Always use descriptive link text instead of raw URLs. This improves readability and accessibility.

Images

Image syntax is identical to link syntax but with an exclamation mark (!) at the front. The text inside the square brackets becomes the alt text, which is important for accessibility.

![Alt text for the image](https://example.com/image.png)
![Logo](https://example.com/logo.png "Company Logo")

Always provide meaningful alt text. Screen readers rely on it, and it displays when the image fails to load.

Horizontal Rules

Create a horizontal rule (a visual divider line) by placing three or more dashes, asterisks, or underscores on a line by themselves. Add blank lines above and below for compatibility.

---

***

___

Put a blank line before and after the horizontal rule. Without blank lines, some processors may interpret --- as a heading.

Frequently Asked Questions